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I am not a
religious person. I don't believe in an actual external god, nor
do I believe in a physical heaven. But... I have taken it upon
myself to proselytize on the
glory that is The Skatalites. I've seen the
Skatalites quite a few times, but one show in particular made an
impression. The supporting acts were Johnny Socko
and Let's
Go Bowling. It was
the
first time I'd seen Johnny Socko ,
and I now call myself a
fan. Dressed
in
cheesy 70's duds, they put on an energy packed
show complete with doll
launchings and a thigh master give-away. I
didn't win. As far a Let's Go
Bowling is concerned, well, if you've
read my review of last
year,
you
know how I feel about them. The only thing
that disappointed me about
the set was the trombonist. I've been told it
was not Michael DeLeon, but I cannot be sure, what with the hat,
shades, and the year that has past since I saw them last. Anyway,
said trombonist was a little out of control to the point that he
started missing cues. He did redeem himself later, though as you
shall see. Read on.
As we were waiting, Lloyd Brevitt came
on stage.
The man was just checking
his
equipment, and the place went crazy. My friend
, Charlie, said to me
"Imagine getting to a point in your career
where all you have to do is
walk on stage, and you get this kind of a
reception." I was awe struck.
Both by the fact that this was really
happening, but also by the
excitement
of
such a young crowd. They made us wait around a
bit more, and then they
came out onto the stage. Rolando Alphonso,
Lester Sterling, Lloyd
Brevitt, Lloyd Knibbs, Devon James, Will Clark,
and Nathan Breedlove. As
soon as they started into their first tune, I
was totally gone. Another
world altogether. I knew all the songs, all
the melodies, and all the
words to the songs, but I don't think I ever
really heard them before. It
was all new when done
live.
One of the greatest things about the
show was the way the crowd
reacted. The biggest segment of the crowd were
those under 21. They
really got into the jazz format that The Skatalites
played. I was a bit
surprised, and delighted. In almost every
tune, each of the horn players
took their turn at a solo, while the rhythme
and melody continued strongly
in the background. Every solo was met with
loud applause, and it was a
joy
to watch Rolando Alphonso acknowledge the
accolades of the crowd.
After a few instrumentals,
Doreen
Shaeffer came on. Now she is a class act. Graceful, appreciative,
beautiful. Again, I was completely taken. It was
one of those shows where the band is enjoying itself as much as
the crowd. They did two or three encores, and their last tune of
the night Guns
of Navarone featured six horns, including the
aforementioned Let's Go Bowling trombonist.
It was in his time at the mike that he Redeemed himself. He was
all business, as if aware his antics would not be tolerated. When
the crowd finished pounding on the floor calling for more and the
lights finally came up, I sort of sank into an exhausted
contentment. It was only then that we realized how late it was;
time had stopped inside the Bluebird. When it was all over it was
almost 2.00 in the morning. We had been there for almost 6 hours.
It was truly magical. I cannot say that I will always
remember it, though. The reason was it was to moving to be able to
break down into a real memory. It's more like a flood of feeling.
It was not the individual songs and tunes they did, or the
individual solos, but the total experience of being their, amongst
so many indebted fans, and watching the originals do their thing.
The only thing that got in the way of a perfect
evening was the obligatory
drunk girl stepping on my toes. I forgive you
though, drunk girl, as you
seemed to be as swept away as me.
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